Sled Resource Authentication for Data Center Workload Integrity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data centers face challenges in verifying and authenticating hardware and software resources to ensure integrity and prevent unauthorized changes, particularly when processing sensitive information.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a verification controller on each sled to authenticate and verify physical resources, generating results that are validated by a pod management controller to determine if resources can be used in compute nodes, and utilizing a sled manifest for hardware and software validation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If strict control and verification of hardware and software resources are implemented, then security and integrity of data center operations are improved, but device complexity and operational overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveintegrity of physical resourcesVSAvoidcomplexity of verification system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The verification system is segmented by implementing individual verification controllers on each sled rather than a centralized verification system. Each verification controller independently manages authentication and validation for its associated physical resources (processors, memory, storage, accelerators), dividing the complex verification task into manageable modular units that can operate autonomously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Verification controllers act as intermediary components between the management controller and physical resources. These intermediaries handle the complex authentication and validation operations, shielding the management system from direct complexity while ensuring resource integrity through cryptographic verification of hardware and software components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If authentication and validation operations are performed on all physical resources, then security against unauthorized changes is improved, but processing time and productivity are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity of data centerVSAvoidworkload processing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Authentication and validation of physical resources are performed in advance before workloads are assigned. The verification controller authenticates hardware components and validates software/firmware during system initialization or resource registration, so that when workloads need to be processed, the resources are already verified and ready for immediate use

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Once resources are authenticated and validated, their verified status is maintained continuously, allowing multiple workloads to be assigned without repeating the full authentication process. The system maintains continuous monitoring and verification states, enabling rapid workload deployment while preserving security

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS11838113B2Techniques to verify and authenticate resources in a data center computer environment

Publication Date: 2023.12.05 INTEL CORP

AI summary

Embodiments are generally directed apparatuses, methods, techniques and so forth to receive a sled manifest comprising identifiers for physical resources of a sled, receive results of an authentication and validation operations performed to authenticate and validate the physical resources of the sled, determine whether the results of the authentication and validation operations indicate the physical resources are authenticate or not authenticate. Further and in response to the determination that the results indicate the physical resources are authenticated, permit the physical resources to process a workload, and in response to the determination that the results indicate the physical resources are not authenticated, prevent the physical resources from processing the workload.